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A Bush Snake for Bayram (150)
Miss_Piggy
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 892 W: 0 N: 1130]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-n-g.gif) (3523) | Spotted Bush Snake / Philothamnus semivariegatus
Today's posting I would like to dedicate to Bayram Gocmen (boreocypriences). In the short time that I have been part of Trek Nature, I have learn to know him as a noble and humble gentleman who has an extreme passion for his work, and that he takes pride in what he does. I have also come to learn that he has a great love for his sisters Jane and Yasemin and his mother, of which he speaks often in his notes.
His gallery is mostly filled with the most interesting and fascinating reptiles, some of which I never even knew existed. If I had to compare my Bush Snake to some of the exotic or scarce snakes he has in gallery, it would be like comparing a "Rolls Royce" to a "bicycle". There is just no comparison, and although not uncommon to our region this might just be my first and only snake capturing opportunity I'll ever have. So this one is for your Bayram.
It has become part of a routine especially over weekends to take a stroll through the garden with the camera looking for something to photograph. I find it extremely interesting to see on which plants, specific insects prefer to sit and which plants never attracts insects at all. My eyes and nose is always between the leaves looking for the possible hiding places for the great variety of insects we have in our garden.
On Saturday Loot left to the Thulasihleka Pan, a great spot for photographing Pelicans, Lesser Jacana's, Kingfishers and other waterfowl.
After a downpour of rain, I thought I might get some nice shots of some leaves or maybe a flower with some water droplets and took my stroll around the garden. Everything was really beautiful and cleanly washed after the rains and I just wanted to stick my nose in everything and even deeper to see if I could see something special to photograph. Just as I stuck my nose in to explore, the snake pushed his face out of the plant from where it was lying. My oh my, what a delightful moment I encountered. I must be honest a frightening moment as well for a few seconds, as I never expected to come face to face with a snake on one of my walks in the yard.
This was really such an exciting but at the same time nervous moment. I wanted to get even closer, but because I do not have knowledge about snakes I was not sure if this one is going to spit of bite me. Its tongue was darting about all the time, so I did not want to take chances. The garden help did not really make it easier, because he just stood behind me and told me franticly that it was a green mamba.
It was only when Loot arrived home from his photography excursion, and upon downloading the photos he told me that it is a harmless and non-toxic Bush Snake. In my personal opinion I think this is such a gorgeous green snake, with beautiful yellow eyes, and lovely markings on its body.
I have talked so much about my adventure, one would think I was fighting an Anaconda in the Amazon, but to me it was a real exciting experience. I am only going to give a little general summary about this beauty. I have seen a few of this specific type of snake's photos on Trek Nature, thus if you need more information, you can just look it up by going back to some of the previous postings of other members.
General summary and interesting facts:
These snakes are active, diurnal hunters, and have great vision. When foraging for food they often undulate their necks from side to side in a serpentine fashion while keeping the body perfectly still, giving an appearance of foliage blowing in the wind.
Prey includes frogs, chameleons, geckos, nesting birds, fish and insects.
Individuals sleep in crevices in logs and trees or on the outer edges of branches high up in trees. They will drop to the ground if approached by predators. When cornered, they will inflate their throats to expose the brightly coloured interstitial skin and do not hesitate to bite.
These snakes do not pose a threat to humans, but are often needlessly killed in the mistaken belief that they are Boomslangs (Dispholidus typus) or Green Mambas (Dendroaspis angusticeps).
They are especially adapted for an arboreal existence. They have strongly keeled ventral scales that enable them to climb up the rough bark of trees. They are notorious for climbing up bricked walls and seeking shelter among the asbestos or tin roofs of outbuildings, where they search for geckos.
All species of Green Snake are egg layers and produce clutches of between 3-16 eggs. The hatchlings range in length from 150-300mm, depending on the species.
Taken from the book: A Guide to Reptiles of Southern Africa - Graham Alexander & Johan Marais. Published by Struik Publishers.
I hope you enjoy looking at this photo as much as I took pleasure in taking it. |
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Miss_Piggy
(3523)
Clone Tool
Edited by:aido
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1095 W: 169 N: 1218]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif) (4046) |
| Hello Anna, just some work with the clone tool, more out of curiosity than anything else. I love the clean lines of this image so wondered how it would look if those lines weren't interrupted by the sprig and shadow and natural blemishes. I spent about 10 minutes with the clone tool doing this. Hope you don't mind the workshop! Kind regards, Adrian |
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